From the “Backyardingans” to AU

While most 10-year-olds spend their afternoons at play, Jordan Coleman spent his in a sound studio in New York City.

After attending several auditions, Coleman, now a freshman in the School of Communication, became the voice of Tyrone the Moose on the Nick Jr. TV series “The Backyardigans.”

“It was a little intimidating when I first started working,” he said. “But then as weeks turned into months, I got comfortable with everybody and it was a whole lot easier.”

Now at age 18, Coleman has his own film company, called Jordan Coleman Films, which produces films to inform and entertain America’s youth.

Coleman said he usually does not tell his classmates about his career.

“I try to keep it a secret in classes, but once one person hears about it, it spreads like a wildfire,” he said. “People are normally shocked by all the things that I have done, and that I’m only 18.”
The film company is currently working on a documentary about the Trayvon Martin case.

“After I heard the whole story of the Trayvon Martin case, I was very shocked because that could have been me,” Coleman said.

The documentary, titled “I Am Trayvon,” will be completed in February, the one-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death, according to Coleman.

After being Tyrone the Moose, Coleman made a documentary about the importance of education for young African-American males titled “Say It Loud,” which featured several celebrities, including Kobe Bryant and Michael Strahan.

In 2011, Coleman wrote and directed the film, “Paying the Price,” a cautionary tale about teen dating violence.

His goals are to direct films that will educate and entertain America’s youth, and to win an Oscar, Coleman said.

“I converted over from a voiceover actor to a film maker,” Coleman said. “I ultimately want to be a movie director in Hollywood.”